Docs urge limits on kids' texts, tweets, Internet

CHICAGO (AP) -- The American Academy of Pediatrics has new advice many kids will find hard to swallow: It wants limits on tweeting, texting and other social media.

The influential group says smartphones and laptops should stay out of children's bedrooms. And it says kids should spend no more than two hours daily on Facebook, Twitter, and other Internet entertainment sites.

The doctors' new policy says unrestricted media use can have serious consequences. It's been linked with violence, cyberbullying, school woes, obesity, lack of sleep and other problems.

"Pediatricians are encouraged to take a media history and ask 2 media questions at every well-child visit: How much recreational screen time does your child or teenager consume daily? Is there a television set or Internet-connected device in the child’s bedroom?" reads the policy statement.